paulears wrote:Indeed. You can buy wide band aerials - look for topics on things like discones, or you can buy a band specific aerial. These can also give you gain - usually measured against the performance of a dipole - the simplest aerial type. So 3dBd - is twice as good as a dipole. However - be aware that there is another type of gain figure which will be used in the format of 3dBi - 3dB more than an isotropic source - an imaginary aerial considered to be a 'point source'. Mathematically, a dipole has 2.15dB gain over this imaginary aerial type - so can be used to make an aerial look better in the specs.
In general, the size of a VHF dipole is quite small near 3 ft end to end. There are what stick designs that can give you perhaps 3-4dB gain over a dipole - meaning things a dipole cannot hear, will be there. Your radio inside the house will work better upstairs, it will work even better if you stand on the roof. An aerial, even a basic one will work better the higher you can get it.
It gets trickier when you have lots of aerials available, but some are more difficult to physically cope with. A discone aerial, in the loft, will work better than the little rubber duck type aerial on the radio in your kitchen. If you put the discone, which has no gain at all - as in 0dBd, on your chimney it might work better than a 3dBd aerial in the loft - or it might not, on a rainy wet day and the roof tiles are shielding the signal from getting through?
It's supposed to be science, but so many variables make it a bit of a gamble.
Hi paulears,
Thanks for the advice and information, admittingly it went way over my head but I get the idea of the information and advice provided. It's a learning curve
Admiral wrote:What's the association between your handle and what you seek to listen to? (feel free to tell me to mind my own business).
Do you really need a professional transceiver? Seems a bit of a kerfuffle unless you plan on joining in the conversations. FM only handheld scanners can be bought for the price of a packet of fags these days, and would be far easier to scan around in unknown territory.
Hi Admiral,
Yes, sorry I possibly did not explain the situation clearly.
It is a cross over from the work I do and also an interest on an amatuer level of radio communications.
When not working at my main job I do freelance event medical cover with a team of others. Quite frequently when doing event work we will work alongside other organisations such as St John Ambulance, British Red Cross and Order of Malta Ambulance Corps to name a few.
Quite a few events we cover involve working with several of these providers at one event and they all have their own radio comms set up. There is a specific channel available for St John & British Red Cross to communicate together, however here in Northern Ireland I am yet to see this used (not sure how things operate between these organisations in the UK Mainland). This can be a bit of a nitemare as we then have to carry several radios provided to us by these other organisations. At some events there is a joint control room set-up but again this does not make things any easier.
The service I do freelance for has an agreement and written permission from each of these organisations for its staff to use their communications and vice versa (extends to us using a personal radio).
Our service has its own radio comms set-up also. So I am sure you can see the kerfuffle!! (Comms are services by an external company, we do not have a comms dept in our service).
We have been provided with a UK & ROI list list of these organisations frequencies which are also listed and publicly available on the Ofcom website, I posted some of these on a similar forum as pointed out by another forum user on here 'thelad'. Out of the many frequencies provided, only a few are allocated and used in Northern Ireland. I am still awaiting a respponse from our office in relation to which of these frequencies are specific to Northern Ireland. Whilst waiting on a response (which I can assure you will take a while!) I had posted on here and another forum 'Anyone know the current Northern Ireland St John Ambulance & British Red Cross Frequencies' as I assumed that there may well be individuals involved with RAYNET NI (The Radio Amateur's Emergency Network in Northern Ireland) who we would also work with at some events and who may also be forum users and possibly best placed to provide answers regards Northern Ireland specific frequencies, or individuals who are actually attached to these organisations, I guess if you don't ask then you will never know!
In my spare time I have a keen interest in radio communicaions and amatuer radio, just another hobby of mine.
As I mentioned on another forum (which 'thelad' referred to) I am going to do the amatuer radio foundation course to gain my licence and progress from there.
Although whilst doing freelance work at events we have permission to use other organisations comms equipment which also extends to comms belonging to our service (or personal radios that are programmed, but I guess in line with the agreement our personal radios can only be used when actually working at events and not be used at home as a hobby) that are in the process of being programmed with the the various frequencies of these organisations, I was trying to establish the legalities (if any) of getting these frequencies programmed into a couple of transceivers I have. I have also bought a Motorola GP380 which will be programmed with the frequencies and only used (as per the agreement) whilst carrying out work for our service alongside these other organisations. Yes, I could quite easily turn on the GP380 when I am at home and listen in, however I think this would be wrong as the GP380 will be used specifically for the event work and covered by the agreement between 'us' and other organisations. Technically I can only use the GP380 whilst on assignment at an event which we are providing services at as it is covered by our services licence.
Sorry this is a bit long-winded, just trying to make the situation a little more clearer, cross over between my work and a hobby. Trying to establish if I can or cannot programme these frequencies (Northern Ireland specific frequencies once confirmed) into one of my transceivers (which are much smaller and easier to carry than a GP380)...but not quite sure if this is allowed...it would make things a bit easier for me and I could also use the transceiver while I am not working at events.
A few grey areas...Our service uses an outside company to service and programme their comms equipment (yes the GP380 will be sent to them to programme), I doubt very much they would programme one of my transceivers also, I am not even sure of the legalities of this either.
Obviously I want to do things by the book, that is why I had posted on another forum what some might consider as 'some rather strange questions' - I was asking as clearly my lack of knowledge in this area is pretty evident, secondly as this is (and the other similar forum I posted on) involves radio communications and many forum users who might be best placed to give me advice, I don't find that strange. Perhaps I could have explained my sitution a bit more clearly.
Obviously I do not want to be doing anything that is illegal. Posting on these forums so that I can gain some knowledge and information from other forum users who are more educated in this area. Always learning.
Thanks to all who have given me advice and apologies that I may not have made my situation more clearer hence the 'rather strange questions' that have been posted by myself here and on other forums.
It has been a long day, hopefully I have put things into context.
Thanks
) just to be triaged. If you do not have the cash on you, then you are required to provide your welfare issued medical card and identification, you are then invoiced for the initial fifty euro just to be seen then charged for any additional treatment/services....their whole system down their has been adapted from the American systems, I guess due to the close relationship that exists between Ireland and America.